Personal Space
by 1tskillingm3
Summary: Most people seemed to operate around each other as if there were invisible bubbles that separated them. Then there were those people who did not seem to grasp this concept. If you moved back, they'd seem to unconsciously drift even closer. Or the one where Bokuto has no sense of personal space and Akaashi has to deal.


It was going to drive Akaashi crazy. He was sure of it. He did not sign up for this. Not to be an over-grown child's baby sitter. Not for… well any of the rest of the things that came as part of the Bokuto Koutarou package.

Probably what got him the most was the Spiker's tendency to ignore boundaries of personal space. Most people seemed to operate around each other as if there were invisible bubbles that separated them. And it was a good thing, a healthy thing. Personal space was very important thing to respect. Then there were those people who did not seem to grasp this concept.

Bokuto was like that.

Akaashi would be simply talking to the horn-haired boy and Bokuto would respond, but he would move in so freaking close when he did so. Then the setter would casually step back to allow a more comfortable space for a conversation. But as he moved back Bokuto would automatically move forward so that Akaashi was once again forced to tip his head slightly back to look at the others face and have to deal with him being close enough that his warm breath often tickled Akaashi's already sweaty skin. So the setter would move back again. And Bokuto would move forward. They often made long winding circles across the court in this manner until the conversation was over. Their teammates would snicker every time, but not comment because, after all, they had to deal with the same thing at times. It was incredibly annoying and the whole thing made Akaashi very uncomfortable.

Now Akaashi considered himself to have a personal bubble that was a bit larger than the average person. He had a bike so that he wouldn't have to rub up against strangers on the train. He didn't bring people over to his house, even his friends, preferring to meet with them out somewhere or at their home because having _others_ in his house felt like an invasion of his space. Even in middle school when their volleyball team would go to training camps he would firmly set his bag on the seat next to him and claim the small row to himself.

That all pretty much evaporated in his first year of high school when he'd met Bokuto. One moment Akaashi was tranquilly existing in his own bubble minding his own business and doing what was expected of him, then the next Bokuto picking him up off the ground after a successful spike in a back popping hug and exclaiming that Akaashi was his favorite setter ever and 'hey hey hey' they should pair up some more after practice. There was no going back after that. Bokuto seemed to have adopted him as his handler and always seemed to be flapping and hooting all over on and around the setter.

Akaashi had thought about quitting, but somehow he had a feeling that wouldn't solve anything. Because, for whatever reason, Bokuto had become attached to _him_ rather than just "his setter". If he quit volleyball, not only would Bokuto likely blame himself and become completely dejected thinking that it was his fault (he'd be right, but Akaashi wasn't cruel enough to subject the team to that level of mopping), not to mention that Bokuto would still probably follow him around like a lost puppy in school and possibly to his house as well. In short, even if he quit he would still have to deal with Bokuto but he would've shot his chance at getting a volleyball scholarship after high school as well.

After a year though, Akaashi was annoyed to find that he'd gotten used to having Bokuto pop his personal bubble. He no longer cringed when the spiker would drape himself over his back, flop down to take a nap on his shoulder or lap, drag Akaashi around, suddenly pick him up when he got excited, brushing through Akaashi's "pretty" hair and then making him touch his as well and tell him how cool the dyed spikes were, and dozens and dozens more of fleeting casual brushes of hands or feet or the bump of shoulders when Bokuto walked home with him whenever the spiker had invited himself over. Akaashi still had a big personal bubble when it came to other people, but he had somehow managed to develop a Bokuto sized spot next to him where he was content for the energetic boy to exist.

Akaashi didn't like breaking his own rules, and the fact that Bokuto had managed to make him do so unconsciously made it all the more irritating.

It certainly wasn't all bad though. They did make a good team, on and off the volleyball court. Bokuto could be a little(read: _very_ ) scatter-brained, but he could be unexpectedly observant at times. He was pretty attuned to the subtle changes in expressions, body language, and energy of the team (though if you asked him what exactly it was that he'd noticed and how, he wasn't good at giving very coherent answers) though this was as useful as it was dangerous in the way that it could sometimes throw him into a funk. Mostly though, it served to help strengthen the team, which was one of the main reasons that Bokuto was made captain in his third year. He held the team together with his antics, whether it was intentional or not. It surprised no one but Akaashi when the setter was named vice-captain despite only being a second year.

Another, completely unexpected perk of Bokuto's attachment to him came in the form of the Nekoma captain and their setter. When he'd first got dragged along to one of the their late night practices and witnessed Kuroo and Bokuto's weird dances of flapping and leaping around the court, Akaashi's first thought was 'oh no, not another idiot.' Then he'd changed his mind. Kuroo was extraordinarily intelligent and he had a sharp and sarcastic wit that had Akaashi snorting ungracefully behind his hand. Sometimes Akaashi would think Bokuto and Kuroo were just being dumb and then bed head would catch his eye from the other side of the net and the setter would almost swear those eyes twinkled mischievously right before Akaashi would realize what the sly cat was _really_ up to.

"You've got quite a head on your shoulders there, Akaashi." Commented Kuroo plopping next to him not long after they'd started hanging out, "I like the way you and Bokuto handle each other."

"Erm, thanks?" Akaashi responded cautiously, not sure if he liked the implication that Bokuto 'handled' him in any way.

"Bokuto is a lot more steady and happier since you joined the team. It's nice to see." Kuroo reflected, "He'd really turned into quite the 'ace'."

"I don't know if I want to take credit for that." Commented Akaashi dryly. Kuroo laughed at that, bumping his shoulder and making the setter bristle slightly at having his space invaded so casually by someone other than Bokuto… then feeling annoyed at yet more evidence that the crazy owl was affecting his behavior.

"He's good for you too, I think. You're not as wound up and withdrawn as you were when we first played against each other." Commented Kuroo, seeming to read his mind. He held his gaze for a moment before flashing a shit-eating grin, "Keep up the good work~"

Akaashi had only been able to glower at him. The words that he could think of in response to that were distinctly unflattering and he had a feeling that they would just make Kuroo laugh harder.

Kenma and Kuroo were apparently childhood friends and Akaashi always found himself smiling slightly when he saw them together. Kuroo was quitter when he was around Kenma. Not that he was repressing anything, just that he seemed… content. A warm affection softening the edges of his usually sly smirk into a fond smile.

"Hey, hey, hey Akaashi! Kuroo and Kenma are really cute sometimes, huh?" Bokuto said to him in a loud whisper one time when they were wandering home after practice, the two of them hanging back and watching the two Nekoma players stride leisurely in front of them.

"Yeah…" agreed Akaashi with a smile as Kuroo suggested that they stop at the convenience store for ice cream and Kenma's eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement, "They really are."

Not that having Kenma around distracted Kuroo when playing volleyball. If anything, Kuroo became almost twice as hard to spike past when Kenma was there.

Kenma on didn't usually come to their extra practices and when he did he refused to set, preferring to play video games or simply observe them. Akaashi got along with Kenma surprisingly well, the two setters actually voluntarily going out and spending time together outside of volleyball. Neither setter was particularly verbose, but there was a kind of contentment and peace in each others company that Akaashi craved after the daily insanity that came with being Bokuto's favorite person. When Kenma did talk he always seemed to surprise Akaashi with his dry sense of humor and blunt observations that had the darker haired setter smirking and suppressing laughter.

What surprised him was that Kenma had an even bigger personal bubble than Akaashi, his fur metaphorically standing on end any time people got too close or paid too much attention to him… however, Bokuto, for reasons Akaashi couldn't quite fathom, was strangely shy around the short setter. He kind of fluttered in big circles around Kenma and would bashfully leave him little gifts before running off. Kenma would just kind of blink at the spiker and then cautiously prod at whatever the gift was that time before accepting or rejecting it with a bluntness that Akaashi rather admired. This would often happen several times a night on breaks between plays while Akaashi and Kuroo lounged on the bleachers and watched in amusement.

"It's kind of rare to find people that Kenma is willing to leave the house to go see." Kuroo said suddenly looking at Akaashi seriously, "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me." Said Akaashi suddenly feeling a little flustered, "I like Kenma, it's not as if it's a bother to spend time with him."

The smile that Kuroo flashed him was one that he usually reserved for his setter and Akaashi felt his stomach flutter at that look being directed at him… though he refused to let it show on his face.

"He's not the only one you like." Commented Kuroo suddenly, gold eyes sliding over to where Bokuto was spinning a volleyball nervously in his hands while Kenma inspected the bag of caramels that he'd just plopped in his lap.

"What do you mean?" asked Akaashi frowning, caught off guard by the sudden subject change.

"You're pretty sharp Akaashi, I don't think it will take you long to figure out." Said Kuroo simply and he leaped lithely off the bleachers, "Bokuto on the other hand… he may have fallen first but I betcha he's going to be the last one to realize it."

"…I hope you're not implying what I think you're implying." Commented Akaashi narrowing his eyes.

"Try to be patient with him, our big owl tends to be a wee bit dense sometimes." Said Kuroo with a wink. Akaashi stared at him unimpressed for a moment longer before sighing and getting his feet to join him.

"Our owl'? I don't remember getting joint custody of him with you." Said Akaashi dryly. Kuroo threw his head back and laughed hard, attracting the attention of the other two.

"Akaashi you're so cruel, you don't want to raise little owlet's and kitten's with me? And here I thought you loved me. I am hurt." Said Kuroo dramatically laying a hand over his heart.

"I want a divorce." Deadpanned Akaashi while Kuroo cracked up.

"Hey, hey, hey! What's going on?!" asked Bokuto bounding over.

"Bokuto, Akaashi doesn't love us anymore." Said Kuroo dramatically draping himself into the other captain's arms.

"WHAT?!" screeched Bokuto looking devastated.

"Let's just keep playing." Sighed Akaashi glaring at Kuroo. The little shit grinned back. This was going to be a pain to fix. Akaashi glanced over at Kenma who gave him a look of sympathy before shrugging and going back to his game.

Predictably, Bokuto was in a bit of a funk the rest of the practice, but it was fine because Akaashi was a bit distracted himself. Kuroo's suggestion nagged at his brain, and he was quite happy to call it a night not too long later.

After assuring Bokuto _multiple_ times that Kuroo was just joking and _no_ Akaashi did not hate him and _no_ he was definitely not allowed to spend the night and _no Akaashi was_ _sure_ _he wasn't mad at him after all_ and a few _'please go home Bokuto.'s,_ they finally parted ways.

Even so, it took Akaashi way longer than he'd like to fall asleep that night. He stared at the swirls on his ceiling letting thoughts bounce through his head until exhaustion won and he finally managed to doze off.

Still, in the weeks that followed, the thought continued to plague his mind. Every time Bokuto beamed at him, every time the spiker disregarded the rules of personal space and Akaashi allowed it, the thought would flash through his mind.

 _Do I really_ like _him?_

He noticed that the way that Bokuto entered his personal space had also shifted somewhere when he wasn't paying attention. Bokuto would still randomly latch on to him, but these gestures were now often accompanied by Bokuto nuzzling into his neck with soft little hooting sounds. The spiker still dragged him places, but he was more likely pull him by his hand than by his arm and afterward he was slow to let go. Bokuto was always seeming to find reasons why he needed to touch Akaashi, seeming to crave his attention now more than ever. The weird thing was that they weren't new. Akaashi just hadn't noticed whenever they had started.

The weirder thing was the way that Akaashi realized _he'd_ been noticing Bokuto(for how long he wasn't sure). When had he stopped looking at Bokuto as someone he needed to babysit? It was a little startling to realize that as much as he'd used to consider Bokuto as an over grown child, he… definitely didn't look at Bokuto that way anymore. He definitely had started to look at Bokuto as was; a teen on the brink of adulthood who was in all fairness _quite_ attractive (though he still had childish antics sometimes that made Akaashi want to slam his head against a wall. Repeatedly). He was quite built, though still just pudgy enough to be comfortable to lay on when Bokuto insisted that they cuddle ("because I am looonely Akaashi! And you're so warm!"). Not to mention Akaashi found his eyes being drawn more and more often to how excellent Bokuto's legs looked in his thigh-high kneepads. How he found his eyes flicking down to Bokuto's mouth when the spiker would thoughtlessly invite himself into Akaashi's personal space to talk to him so closely that their noses almost touched.

And Bokuto… Bokuto stared a lot, Akaashi realized. He didn't think the spikey haired volleyball player even realized it, but his eyes trailed Akaashi from the moment he entered a room to the moment he left it. And there was this _look_ he'd get on his face when the setter spoke to him. A look that made Akaashi's stomach twist in ways were not entirely unpleasant.

 _I really really like him._

What was worse about this realization was that he also knew that he couldn't do anything about it. Not yet at least. If Bokuto had to confront his feelings before he was ready he would likely fall into a downward spiral of panic and insecurities and try to distance himself from Akaashi.

" _Try to be patient with him, our big owl tends to be a wee bit dense sometimes._ " Damn it all, Kuroo had _known_. He'd known, and he'd decided to make Akaashi realize anyway.

- _I definitely want that divorce-_ Akaashi texted him angrily.

- _My heart is broken forever more-_ Kuroo texted back, - _I guess Kenma will have to comfort me-_

 _-Kenma will side with me. We've already established that he loves me more-_

- _I'll just have to bribe him games-_

 _-Ah, but he knows that with me he can eat all the mochi he likes and have games AND have a quite house-_ Akaashi texted because even when he was mad, falling to banter with Kuroo had always been easy.

-… _that's playing dirty-_ Akaashi couldn't help the smirk that tugged at his lip.

That was until the sound of distressed wailing came from the other room.

"Akaaaaashi! Why does Kuroo say you and Kenma are eloping without us!" blubbered Bokuto sprinting into the room to practically clamber onto his lap, "You can't leave! Who's going to set to me if you leave!? I'd miss you!"

"…well F you too Kuroo." Grumbled Akaashi darkly under his breath before turning his attention to the worried owl in front of him that, for some reason, he was in love with, "Bokuto, I am still in high school. I am not eloping with anyone."

"Kuroo knows these things! He wouldn't lie to a bro!" exclaimed Bokuto in distress.

Akaashi sighed. This could take a while.


End file.
